Clinton making 'excellent progress'

Doctors treating the blood clot suffered by US secretary of state Hillary Clinton have revealed that it is located in a vein between her brain and skull.

In a statement, clinicians said on Monday that Mrs Clinton (65) was being treated with blood thinners to help dissolve the clot. They said she was making “excellent progress” and had not suffered any neurological damage.

Mrs Clinton was admitted to New York-Presbyterian hospital on Sunday after doctors discovered the clot during a follow-up exam to a concussion she suffered in mid-December.

Initially, few details were released about her condition. Late on Monday though, Dr Lisa Bardack of the Mt Kisco Medical Group and Dr Gigi El-Bayoumi of George Washington University released a statement that gave the location of the clot.

“In the course of a routine follow-up MRI on Sunday, the scan revealed that a right transverse sinus venous thrombosis had formed,” they said. “This is a clot in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear.

“To help dissolve this clot, her medical team began treating the secretary with blood thinners. She will be released once the medication dose has been established. In all other aspects of her recovery, the secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery.”

Stomach virus

Mrs Clinton fell and suffered a concussion in mid-December while at home recuperating from a stomach virus that had left her severely dehydrated.

Her condition prevented her from attending a congressional hearing into the deadly assault on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. She also cancelled a trip to North Africa and the Middle East.

Doctors discovered the clot on Sunday and admitted her to hospital for treatment.

Mrs Clinton’s condition has led to speculation in private, if not in public, from Democrats keen to see her run for the presidency in 2016.

Bill Galston, a former aide to President Bill Clinton, said that health considerations could form part of her decision on whether to run.

“She has run herself ragged for four years and she knows how much physical stamina it requires to campaign,” Mr Galston added.